New York Knicks
All season long, the New York Knicks have been one of the best defensive teams in the league and they have played very few games this season that did not come down to the wire. Every game this team plays is like a “street fight” and if the Knicks are in the play-in tournament, it won’t necessarily be the other play-in teams that are unhappy to face them, but the top teams in the Eastern Conference will not be happy.
They may not be the most offensively skilled team in the NBA when compared to the Nets and 76ers in the Eastern Conference, but in a 7-game series, the Knicks would definitely have a chance against both of these teams!
It sounds really crazy to say that the New York Knicks could potentially upset either the 76ers or the Nets, two teams with high championship aspirations, but if Philadelphia or Brooklyn are not prepared to fight for 48 minutes each game against the Knicks, then they will have their backs against the wall.
Tom Thibodeau has turned the Knicks into a defensive powerhouse this season and while they know they will not be able to outscore teams, they fully believe in themselves being able to limit their opponent’s ability to score. New York ranks first in opponents points per game (104.2 OPPG) and while they have not beaten either the 76ers nor the Nets this season, every game played against them has been very tight.
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In the Sixers three wins against the Knicks this season, they have won by an average of eight points, with two games being decided by a couple of points, and the average margin of victory for the Nets this season against the Knicks is 4.7 points.
If the New York Knicks are in the play-in tournament, I am definitely taking them to end up as the 7-seed or 8-seed in the Eastern Conference, making for what will be a very intriguing and fun matchup with either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Brooklyn Nets.
